


Here Comes The Roof Man

by CookieCatSU



Series: Welcome to the Happy Habitat! (Sans the Habitat) [4]
Category: Smile For Me (Video Game)
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Habit is The Green Menace, Kamal Adopts Putunia, Kamal is Roof Man, Putunia calls Kamal Roof Man, Putunia's parents kinda suck, That's it, in case that confuses anyone, that's the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:49:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26494399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CookieCatSU/pseuds/CookieCatSU
Summary: Kamal adopts a little girl in his and Habit's time apart. No biggie. Just some life changing alterations.
Relationships: Kamal Bora & Putunia Mollar
Series: Welcome to the Happy Habitat! (Sans the Habitat) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1919548
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Here Comes The Roof Man

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place sometime during 'Habit, Habit, Curse My Bad Habits'. Kamal gets out of the Habitat and immediately decides to adopt a kid. He's crazy.

Putunia is going places. She's going to explore the countryside, tumble through the weeds, and run all the way from this coast to the next. She's going, and she's doing it all by herself! She's got her trusty backpack, her punching glove, and her cape: everything she could possibly need on her journey!

She stops in front of the Habitat's wrought iron gates, plastic pink crocs digging into the clay, little hands pulling at the straps of the bag on her shoulders, and surveys the land spread out before her. The sun is shining, beaming with a great big smile down upon her, and the air is fresh with pine needles and lake spray from a few yards away. She waves, at the smiling sun and the swaying trees. 

She can go anywhere! So, where should that be? 

_California_. It's the first place that pops into her head. It's huge, so there should be lots of people to talk to, and she's heard it's always sunny and it never rains and it's always warm. And she thinks she might have an auntie who lives there. Maybe. That part kind of blurs, but even if she doesn't she has places to go. She can go live on a train, be a boxcar kid, or maybe set up a secret hero hideout in the city sewers, ooooh. And it's really far from home, and it'll be such an exciting adventure! 

Yeah!

So she turns her head to the left, toward the west, and sets off, resolute, toward the treeline. She just has to keep walking this way until she hits California!

She hears the gate open behind her, with a loud creak. It sounds like that low screechy howling of the wind outside her window, all loud and scary and probably a banshee pretending to be wind. She turns her head to see what it is, and catches a glimpse of a relatively short man fighting with the heavy iron gate. She turns back toward the treeline, still jogging ahead with purpose.

"Putunia?" She hears someone shout. She doesn't stop. She has places to go!

Everyone's left. She saw them, sneaking out of the gate, one by one, Flower Kid directing them with stiff movements and an anxious eye. She was one of the last one's to scurry out from between the crack in the gate, rushing out to enjoy the gas free air (someone sure did stink up the place, pee yew! it was so bad it made her dizzy, ha ha) outside the Habitat. She didn't see anyone coming out behind her. 

Putunia had stopped to collect rocks, then. She'd felt too light headed to really walk, and collecting rocks just seemed like a really good idea. Urgent. Like she might keel over if she didn't get some good ol' pebbles in her hands. All the others left though, as if there were hounds on their tails. Well, Flower Kid played with her until the sun set, and then they had to leave, too. Putunia was the only one who stayed until the sun rose on the horizon once more.

No one else should still be here. 

She gazes behind her. Whoever it is, they're coming her way, and getting closer. She slows down a little so they can catch up. Company is nice! She shivers. The sun is shining, but it is still a little cold, and she thinks they'd rather not be alone ( _she_ isn't afraid of being alone. Nope. No siree. She's a big girl).

She's nearly to the treeline when they catch up, huffing and puffing from just behind her, trying to catch their breath.

"Putunia? I didn't know you were-" they pause, sucking in several sharp, greedy breaths of air, hands on their knees, body bent in half, "-still here. Where are you going?"

"To California" Putunia answers, with a little skip. 

She finally gazes over her shoulder, and is surprised to see Mr. Roof Man walking beside her. Woah! She's seen him a bunch of times, but never up close. She'd been sure that he was, for whatever reason, unable to leave the roof. It was her _personal_ theory that the Green Menace had imprisoned him up there (because he's so evil!), just like Rapunzel in her tower, or Masked Driver in issue #312 when the dastardly Rat King tied him up, and he was forced to escape with nothing but his teeth! 

Roof Man's eyes get wide. They glow a hazy, glazed kind of yellow in the sunlight. He yanks at a lock of wavy black hair.

"That's really far" He says, "How long do you think it'll take to get there"

She shrugs, leaping over a branch in her path. He seems really anxious. Kind of cramping her style. "Three days or so"

She'd thought Mr. Roof Man would be more fun.

"No, that's not, not really right," He says.

"I might havta speed walk"

"I still don't think your going to get there in three days"

"Four days?"

"No"

Her eyes get big, "Five days?"

"No"

"A _week_?" 

She exclaims, because there's no way it could take any longer than that! That's half of _forever_.

"No"

She huffs a little, kicking a rock in her path. "Huh. Maybe I shouldn't be going to California. Sounds like a long ways"

"Yeah, maybe not" He laughs.

* * *

Roof Man is nice.

She kicks her legs against the back of the passenger seat, keeping in time with the radio, with little ping, pow, _wow_ sound effects for each blow she lands. He'd offered to let her ride in his car. Putunia had been dubious at first, but she'd never been one to turn down a free car ride. It's like a rollercoaster, but less scary.

He slides the SUV's passenger door open from down the middle, and it moves forward like those really cool car doors from spy movies. A burst of cool air hits her face, and she scrambles into the back seat without further adieu.

"We're almost to town" He, Roof Man, announces halfway through the 3rd tape. He'd labeled that one 'funky jazz bops' with a black sharpie.

He hums a little riff, before turning to look at Putunia with an awkward smile, "Anyway, uh, what's your address?"

"Do you even _know_ your address? Sorry, I don't, don't mean to sound creepy or anything, I just need to know where you live, so I can take you home"

Home. Oh no. Is dad still angry about that vase she broke? Will mom be waiting on the top step with that wicked broom in hand? Did they kill her parrot? They probably killed her parrot.

Putunia scowls at the mention, kicking the seat a little harder. She scrunches her face up and crosses her arms. She'd been cheery, up until he mentioned that word. Home. She doesn't _want_ to go home. Home was boring. They never let her do what she wanted, and they never listened, and they were always yelling! 

She'd rather be anywhere, but there.

If she'd known he was going to drag her back there, she never would have gone with him. She'd have just walked to California like she planned, no matter how many days it took, and she would have used force to make him leave her alone, if it came to it (she's not excited about that, of course. Heroes were only supposed to fight bad people). Roof Man doesn't seem to be a bad people.

He looks concerned by the sudden wave of silence that's fallen over the car, hanging over his little companion like smog. He gazes at her through the rearview mirror, trying to puzzle out why she suddenly looks so pensive.

Is she afraid?

"You do have folks waiting for you, don'tcha?" Kamal asks, "I mean, you have a home for me to take you to, right?"

"I don't wanna go home!" Putunia shouts petulantly in reply, "You can't make me go back!"

"I- no one's making you go anywhere" Kamal reassures her quickly, spluttering.

She recognizes the look on his face. Many a teacher have given her that same look when 4 o' clock rolls around, and she's still laid out coloring on the classroom's tiled floor. Determined not to head home.

"I don't like it there" She mutters.

He doesn't ask any more questions. Doesn't ask for an explanation or a why, or anything. He doesn't say she's bein' silly, like everyone else does. He listens, then he nods.

The car is heavy, choking silent for a couple minutes. He wraps his hands around the steering wheel a couple times, just moving the fingers into different positions, thinking. Putunia grabs her bag to rummage through the pebbles and crayons and papers, searching for her latest Masked Driver comic.

"Maybe we should go to California?" Kamal offers tentatively, after a couple more moments, "I could drive us up there together. Stay a few days"

Putunia beams.

* * *

Kamal hadn't been planning on keeping Putunia, or stealing her away, or whatever else anyone may claim. None of that had been part of the plan.

Kamal… didn't know what the plan was.

He didn't really have one.

His first thought had been 'get out of there'. Just, get the hell out.

He'd just gotten down onto solid, sturdy, dirt land after confronting Habit, after climbing down every rickety stair in that rickety, half leaning tower, and he was back in the main plaza after months of only staring down upon it, and the air within the Habitat's walls still smelt faintly of saccharine sweet laughing gas, not yet completely dissipated, and he just needed to _get away._

He's frantic. He doesn't want to see Flower Kid (he feels eaten up with guilt just leaving them to get eaten alive by Boris, to face the brunt of his mania when _he_ should have been _there_ for him, when he should have been the one helping him, pulling him back from the brink) and he absolutely doesn't want to see Dr. Habit (he wants to see him so bad, and never wants to see him again, and he's still so scared, and he hates it). Kamal wants _out._

By the time he's gotten the presence of mind to have an actual thought other then that, then 'get the hell out of there' and 'don't trip and fall on your face', he's already outside, fumbling with the gate. He doesn't know where the heck he's going to go once he does get it closed. He doesn't even know where he left his dang car. Or his car keys. Ugh.

He rummages in his pants pockets, and sighs in relief when he feels the rigid metal of the key tip. Okay. He's not stranded.

When he notices Putunia, his current plan is as follows: get in his car, drive away, go home, maybe hide away for a couple days, then come up with a _real_ plan.

It's such a clean cut, clear path.

He shouldn't be surprised that it's almost immediately derailed. He's never been good at staying on track. Lack of planning is never the problem, of course. He plans everything out, in nice neat rows and easily digestible columns. He's great at that.

Life just… usually had different plans. He adjusts as best he can (which isn't too great).

He couldn't leave her there, to wander off to god knows where all on her own, so he takes her with him. It'd only be for a couple days, and then he'd take her home, and he could get back to figuring out his own life.

Simple.

* * *

It's not that simple. 

Kamal doesn't feel right, dropping her off somewhere when she clearly has major hangups about it. It just doesn't sit right with him. Yeah, kids can be difficult, sometimes: throwing fits when you don't let them have the candy they want, for example, but that kind of stuff is momentary. It passes. It's also relatively normal, yeah?

This wasn't that. She'd been so _panicked_ at the mention of him taking her back home and that just… that wasn't right at all. The fact that Petunia was so afraid said something was distinctly wrong. Something wrong, and other, and _unnatural,_ that makes Kamal's hairs stand on end. No kid should be that frantic.

And she wasn't faking it. You can't fake fear, not like that, Kamal is sure.

So he turns right back around, and takes her home, with _him._ If it came down to it, and it looked like it would, Kamal would just take care of her himself, at least until he could make other arrangements.

Unfortunately, it turns out he's rather unprepared to take care of a kid. Consequence of being a bachelor for so long, he supposed. 

All he sees in his cupboards are a couple boxes of ready made mac and cheese, croutons, and some expired taco shells. He grabs the yellow box of mac and scowls.

He's absolutely unprepared.

"So uh… what do you eat?"

Putunia's gaze shoots up from the action figures she's currently playing with on the kitchen floor, and she gives him a very weird look.

"I eat food" She says, like it's obvious.

Kamal scoffs. He's still rifling through his cabinets. Nothing more promising has suddenly popped up, though.

"I know that, I just… don't seem to have anything in here beside boxed mac and cheese" He throws his hand up in annoyance, and groans, "I really need to go grocery shopping"

He isn't really sure why he has this stuff. It's gross. Definitely not what a growing kid should be eating.

Her eyes light up though, like stage lights, and she jumps to her feet with a chipped tooth grin.

"Wait, really? Mac and cheese? Yeah! With the little fun shapes?"

He glances over the picture on the box, which depicted some intricately patterned noodles that probably weren't nearly so intricate in real life, and nods.

"Yep"

"Awesome!" She squeals, like the box he's holding contains liquid gold.

Kamal can't help but smile.

Mac and Cheese it is, then.

* * *

"I'm not cut out for this" Kamal mutters.

 _"You're glowing,"_ Flower Kid replies, with a quiet laugh.

Kamal ignores them, "I've always been awful with kids" He runs his hand through his hair with a ragged sigh, "I mean, I almost _lost_ my sister's kid over the Christmas Break. A whole little person just gone!"

_"Seem to be doing good with Putunia. She likes you"_

Kamal gazes down at the aforementioned child, who's giggling happily, tussling on the floor with the white, plush dog he'd bought her. It's almost as large as she is, but she fights valiantly. He can't help a fond little smile from crossing his face.

"I think I know what you're gettin' at, Flower Kid. I'm just…" His fingers tighten around his wrist, "I don't know"

Flower Kid is silent. They look unimpressed. No, unconvinced, is more like it.

Kamal kind of is too. He's mostly just desperate for an excuse, any excuse, not to go through with this, not to make it so _final._ He doesn't feel ready. 

He doesn't have a job. He can hardly take care of himself. With that in mind, how could he possibly care for a kid as well? It's crazy. And while Kamal is many things, crazy ain't one of them (Boris takes the honors on that, Kamal thinks bitterly).

"Is that even allowed? Is this not kidnapping or something?"

He's losing steam, slowly but surely. He tries to salvage what last defenses he has.

"She isn't _technically_ an orphan… And where would I even get papers?"

 _"Just don't"_ Flower Kid signs back, with a snort.

"This is serious, Flower Kid" He snaps.

_"I am serious. Do whatever you gotta do"_

Kamal doesn't say anything, but he gazes down at her, so happy, and knows he can't let her go just yet.

* * *

Kamal has been half of an insomniac for quite a long time. Some nights he just _can't_ sleep, too eaten up with anxiety and stress. Just too restless to rest. He'll usually lay in bed for hours on those nights, eyes shut, hoping he'll drift off eventually, before he inevitably decides it's a futile effort.

Then he usually pads down the stairs, into the kitchen, and makes himself some coffee. If he's going to be up all night, he might as well be alert, after all. Alert, and doing something useful. Like paperwork. Or better yet, job searching (because he needs a job, god. At least until he can get this dentist thing to work out. It's been weeks).

He's especially quiet when he walks down the steps tonight, because Putunia's sleeping in the guest room just down the hall. He doesn't want to wake her.

His gaze is still blurry as he works the coffee machine, but he's mostly awake by the time he's pouring the coffee into his mug.

And if that doesn't wake him, the screaming sure does. He startles, nearly spilling boiling hot coffee on his hands. His eyes widen, then, when he realizes where it's coming from. Putunia…. Oh goodness, he hopes she's alright!

He puts the mug down, and rushes up the stairs, clearing them two at a time. His mind immediately starts ranging to all the things that could have possibly gone wrong: she could have fallen out of bed and broke her ankle, or someone may have crawled through the window and is trying to kidnap her right now!... Or maybe she ended up almost smothered by her pillow? Or worse... He never should have left her alone!

Kamal is utterly frantic by the time he reaches the door to the room. Now that he's closer, the screaming is even louder, interspersed every so often with quiet little whimpers that make Kamal's heart twist like he's being stabbed. He throws the door open, immediately rushing into the room.

"Putunia?! Putunia?" He finally breathes, quickly casting his gaze around the room. No one, and nothing else, is in here.

Just Putunia.

He gazes down at where she lay in bed. She's thrashing, screaming her little lungs out. She's having a nightmare, he realizes, with a sinking feeling. He's gotta wake her.

He slips to the side of her bed. Her little face is contorted, slick with sweat.

"Putunia? Sweetie, wake up" He gently taps her on the shoulder. Becomes more insistent, when she's unresponsive. She jolts up, letting loose one last, blood curdling scream.

"Hey, it's okay" He says quickly, voice wavering. He's already seated himself on the edge of the bed. Putunia wraps her hands in superhero print sheets, eyes not quite focusing on him, at first. It takes her a long moment to recognize her surroundings, eyes still glazed, somewhat. Her bottom lip quivers, and then she burst into tears.

Kamal feels like he's going to vomit. She's bawliing, breath coming in tattered little hiccups. Kamal does the only thing he can think to do, which is to pull her into his side, and remind her that she's safe. Nothing's going to hurt her.

He rubs circles on her back, until she starts to breath again.

He gently pushes her soaked black hair from her forehead.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

She sniffles, and whimpers softly. "They were coming to get me" She says, "They were going to take me away. I don't want to go with them! Don't make me go!"

Kamal can only imagine who she's talking about.

"You're not going anywhere with anyone. I wouldn't let anyone take you, okay? You're safe, I promise"

Putunia presses her face into his side, and continues to cry. Kamal stays, right there on the edge of the bed, until every tear is dried.

* * *

Kamal wonders if Parsley is available on such short notice. He hopes he might make an exception. Bend the rules a little, for a friend in need.

"Hey uh, hey Parsnip?"

He's rewarded with an exhausted, disgruntled sigh from the other line, "It's 4 in the morning, Kamal. The hell, man?"

"Do you know anything about adoption papers and the… and the like?" Kamal bursts out, before he can lose his nerve. 

Parsley makes a tired noise in the back of his throat. "What?"

"I could use your services, pal"


End file.
